From the vicious knockouts by Kamaru Usman and Rose Namajunas to the heartbreaking injuries of Jimmy Crute and Chris Wiedman, UFC 261 delivered an unforgettable night of fights to a sold-out Jacksonville Arena in Florida.
Welterweight Greatness
Although two of his last three fights have ended by technical knockout due to strikes, Usman was still being looked at as the guy who is going to drown you with his wrestling. The unthinkable happened when Usman knocked out Jorge Masvidal with a clean right hand and hammer fists. In his nearly 50 professional fights, Masvidal has never been knocked unconscious before Usman.
The rematch of their UFC 251 fight last July, where Masvidal famously replaced Gilbert Burns on a week’s notice to face Usman, was anticipated to play out in a similar fashion. Given Masvidal’s striking prowess, a reasonable counter would call for heavy wrestling by the champion. Due to that exact wrestling threat, Masvidal became susceptible to a perfectly placed right hand, spinning ‘Gamebread’s’ head and putting him on his back. Usman promptly followed up with brutal hammer fights before Masvidal was knocked out.
Usman extended his UFC win streak to 14, second only to Anderson Silva with 16. It’s quite possible Usman will break Silva’s once thought unbreakable record. This, paired with the manner Usman is winning fights, gives credibility to the discussion that the “Nigerian Nightmare” is the greatest welterweight we’ve ever seen. While Georges St-Pierre (GSP) still holds the record for title defenses in the division (9), when you examine the caliber of opponents Usman fought before earning the belt, the conversation gets a lot more interesting.
THUG ROSE!
Rose Namajunas set the internet ablaze with her spectacular knockout of Weili Zhang, regaining her championship title. Namajunas also became the first female champion in UFC history to lose their belt and regain it. The perfectly placed lead-leg head kick placed the champion on their back, and “Thug” Rose followed up with several unanswered hammer fists, leading referee Keith Peterson to stop the fight a little over 1-minute into the first round.
The entire arena, especially the commentary team, erupted to the finish. The nearly 2-year journey back to UFC gold brought Rose, her teammate Justin Gaethje, and UFC commentator Joe Rogan to tears.
Unstoppable Bullet
Valentina Shevchenko is an unstoppable force in the women’s flyweight division. Jéssica Andrade, the worthiest challenger in the division and former Strawweight champion, offered little to nothing to the champion. Shevchenko dominated the grappling exchanges, taking Andrade down at will. Midway into the second round, Shevchenko secured a mounted crucifix and rained down, slicing elbows before referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight. With now 5-title defenses to her name, the question of who is next for the “Bullet” still remains.
Chris Weidman’s Leg Injury
Tragically, former champion Chris Weidman snapped his leg when Uriah Hall checked the low leg kick, mere seconds into the opening round. The cruel irony of this being the same injury to Anderson Silva at UFC 168 in 2013 when Weidman checked a similar low leg kick. Weidman was rushed to the hospital and expected to undergo immediate surgery on Sunday. Hopefully, Weidman is able to undergo a successful operation and a speedy recovery.
What’s next for the Champions?
After every fight, the fans always want to know what is next for the champions. In Usman’s case, it seems all but confirmed No. 1 ranked welterweight Colby Covington is the next fight. The two shared the octagon at UFC 245 in December 2019 in one of the greatest welterweight title fights ever.
Namajunas could rematch either Weili or former champion, Joanna Jędrzejczyk. With some exciting strawweight matchups on the horizon this summer, we may witness a clear front runner for the next title shot.
Shevchenko proclaims she is ready for any and all challengers waiting amongst her division.
During her post-fight interviews, Shevchenko was asked about a potential trilogy fight against double-champ Amanda Nunes.
“I know it’s going to happen,” Shevchenko told BT Sport. “I would love to make it happen at 125, but [Nunes] has to cut her leg off for it.”
The 2 previous fights took place in the women’s bantamweight division. Nunes won both fights, with the second being controversial.
“When it happens, and it’s going to happen, it’s going to be [a] huge deal.”
Quick Results
Kamaru Usman def. Jorge Masvidal by KO (punches) in Round Two.
Rose Namajunas def. Weili Zhang by KO (head kick and punches) in Round One.
Valentina Shevchenko def. Jéssica Andrade by TKO (elbows) in Round Two.
Uriah Hall def. Chris Weidman by TKO (leg injury) in Round One.
Anthony Smith def. Jimmy Crute by TKO (foot injury) in Round One.
Randy Brown def. Alex Oliveria by submission (rear naked choke) in Round One.
Dwight Grant def. Stefan Sekulic by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2).
Brendan Allen def. Karl Roberson by submission (straight ankle lock) in Round One.
Pat Sabatini def. Tristan Connelly by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2).
Danaa Batgerel def. Kevin Natividad by TKO (punches) in Round One.
Rodrigo Vargas def. Zhu Rong by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28 x2).
Jeff Molina def. Qileng Aori by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 29-27).
Ariane Carnelossi def. Liang Na by TKO (punches) in Round Two.
